This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Did everyone know the Stadium Series at Heinz Field was on last night? It wasn't until I saw Pittsburgh and Philadelphia's new jerseys last night did I realize it was actually a pretty special event, with the NHL commemorating the 50th anniversary of its 1967 expansion teams. But, perhaps the NHL is the one to blame here, given how they've staged seven Stadium Series games over the past three seasons to go along with the annual Winter Classic and Heritage Classic, ruining the mystique and intrigue of an outdoor game.
It also doesn't help that the same teams keep getting these games, with the Penguins, Rangers, Canadiens, Red Wings and Blackhawks each appearing at least three times. The Rangers even appeared twice in 2014, playing both games at Yankee Stadium. You can bet the NHL will be watching the ratings closely, especially with last year's Stadium Series getting all-time lows, though this year's iteration should see some improvement given the in-state rivalry and a weekend prime time slot. Still, will it be enough for the NHL to keep putting on these events?
In other news, Jonathan Quick earned his first win of the season in a 4-1 triumph over the Ducks, and his return could pave the way for the Kings to charge up the standings and be the team no one wants to play in the first round. Even if the big names that are rumored to get moved at the trade deadline actually get moved, Quick is still going to be the biggest difference maker. That is, of course, if Corey Perry doesn't chop his arm in half first.
Ah, Corey Perry pic.twitter.com/gtHmwm7Jhh
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) February 25, 2017
Anyway, here's your Sunday slate:
Featured Matchups
Oilers (PP: 11, PK: 15) at Predators (PP: 14, PK: 11), 5:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Cam Talbot (31-17-7, 2.36, .921), Pekka Rinne (23-15-6, 2.48, .916)
Key Injuries:Adam Larsson (lower body), Darnell Nurse (ankle), Tyler Pitlick (knee), Benoit Pouliot (undisclosed), Cody McLeod (lower body), Miikka Salomaki (lower body)
What do you get when you pit the league's leading scorer, Connor McDavid, against the league's hottest scorer, Filip Forsberg? Must-see TV. The Predators played last night but elected to rest Rinne for this game, which shows you how far the Oilers have come since drafting McDavid, going from afterthought to a team that has to be taken seriously. Both teams play an up-tempo style that emphasizes offense, which means that even struggling depth scorers such as Milan Lucic and Craig Smith should be able to get in on the action. The playoff implications for this game are probably a little greater for Nashville, who can move four points ahead of St. Louis for the final Central Division playoff spot.
Blue Jackets (PP: 4, PK: 12) at Rangers (PP: 15, PK: 14), 5:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Sergei Bobrovsky (31-13-3, 2.21, .925), Henrik Lundqvist (28-14-2, 2.58, .914)
Key Injuries:Matt Calvert (oblique), Lukas Sedlak (lower body), Kevin Klein (back)
In just a short period of time, the Blue Jackets and Rangers have forged a relationship where they seem to have more in common than not: John Tortorella faces his former team and Alain Vigneault faces the man who replaced him in Vancouver, and Rick Nash and Brandon Dubinsky also face the only other franchise they've ever known. Both teams have excellent goaltending and good depth on offense and defense, though perhaps the most interesting thing is that it's in neither team's best interest to win the game. The winner will sit third in the Metro, which almost assuredly means a first-round date with the Penguins rather than a date with the Atlantic Division champion, who will assuredly be a weaker opponent. But, it's not in Tortorella or Vigneault's nature to accept losing, so expect both teams to make a hard push.
Blues (PP: 8, PK: 5) at Blackhawks (PP: 17, PK: 28), 7:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Jake Allen (22-16-3, 2.67, .903), Corey Crawford (24-13-3, 2.58, .917)
Key Injuries:Niklas Hjalmarsson (upper body), Jordin Tootoo (illness), Robby Fabbri (knee)
The Blackhawks clearly have the advantage here having won eight of their past 10 games, and will also see Tomas Jurco's debut with his new club. Special teams will tilt the scales if the Blues can draw a few power plays, but perhaps knowing how terrible they are on the penalty kill, the Blackhawks have been penalized just 189 times this season, second-lowest in the league. That, of course, also makes you wonder if the Blackhawks' terrible penalty killing numbers are also due to a small sample size, and that it truly isn't reflective of how good they are in the own end, though even if the numbers are slightly skewed, the Blues have a pretty good sniper named Vladimir Tarasenko on their squad. A win moves Chicago one point shy of the Central Division lead, but Minnesota's still the favorite to win the division title.
Other Matchups
Bruins (PP: 12, PK: 2) at Stars (PP: 19, PK: 30), 12:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Tuukka Rask (28-14-4, 2.28, .912), Kari Lehtonen (14-18-6, 2.86, .903)
Key Injuries:Adam Cracknell (leg), Ales Hemsky (hip), Mattias Janmark (knee), Johnny Oduya (lower body)
Even without Patrick Eaves' 21 goals, the Stars offense is a force to be reckoned with because they still have Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. True, Rask has had a nice bounce-back season, but the defense in front of him still leaves a lot to be desired. By trading Eaves, the Stars have signalled that they're willing to give up on the season and settle for a high draft pick, while the Bruins are still in the thick of a playoff race. Patrice Bergeron has two points in his past three games and Brad Marchand has four points in his past four games, so this is a game in which the Bruins offense can build some momentum. Lehtonen has won three of his past five starts, but has also allowed 14 goals in that span.
Flames (PP: 13, PK: 20) at Hurricanes (PP: 24, PK: 1), 3:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Brian Elliott (14-13-3, 2.81, .896), Eddie Lack (2-3-1, 3.26, .884)
Key Injuries:Brock McGinn (undisclosed)
The Flames may want to take a close look at Justin Faulk, who is reportedly being dangled by the Hurricanes given their crowded blue line. Their big three of Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie and Dougie Hamilton have delivered inconsistent results this season, and desperately need someone to round out their top-four. They've won three straight so the situation may not be as dire, but with their eyes set on the playoffs, they can't possible survive long with Matt Bartkowski playing 15:33 every night. Michael Stone was an underrated addition, and the Hurricanes offense has also struggled recently, so this is a good chance for Calgary to get a better foothold of their playoff spot and a chance for Elliott to notch his 15th win of the season.
Senators (PP: 22, PK: 8) at Panthers (PP: 26, PK: 3), 7:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Craig Anderson (15-8-1, 2.37, .927), Roberto Luongo (16-15-6, 2.73, .913)
Key Injuries:Mike Hoffman (lower body), Clarke MacArthur (concussion), Bobby Ryan (finger), Mark Stone (neck)
Anderson has been worth the price of admission alone this season with his stellar performances, but the injury report constitutes all four of Ottawa's top wingers, one of which has played just four games this season. That alone should give the Panthers the edge, who have turned the corner are in the midst of a playoff chase with Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov back in the lineup. The Senators do have a little bit of a cushion sitting second in the Atlantic Division, but they need to be careful or otherwise slip into second wild card spot and face Washington in the first round, rather than Toronto, Montreal, Boston or Florida.
Sabres (PP: 3, PK: 29) at Coyotes (PP: 27, PK: 26), 8:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Anders Nilsson (9-7-4, 2.67, .922), Louis Domingue (5-14-1, 3.38, .893)
Key Injuries:Alex Burmistrov (upper body), Brad Richardson (leg), Mike Smith (illness), William Carrier (knee), Johan Larsson (wrist)
Robin Lehner and the Sabres defense was horrific against Colorado last night, but Nilsson may not be a better option with his 3.20 GAA and .904 save percentage on the road, and Arizona is a respectable 13-14-3 at home. The silver lining is that the Sabres aren't missing any key forwards, which means the Coyotes defense will have its hands full trying to contain the likes of Evander Kane and Kyle Okposo, and have allowed the fourth-most goals in the league this season. Things will get especially hairy for the Coyotes on the penalty kill, who have to face super sniper Jack Eichel and underrated playmaker Sam Reinhart.
Recommended Pickup
Tomas Jurco, LW/RW, CHI – Have you ever seen how ridiculous his hands are? The former second-round pick has not lived up to lofty expectations, but the offensive talent has always been evident, and seeing how Chicago turned Richard Panik – another second-round pick cast off by the team that drafted him – from a 17-point scorer to a 16-goal scorer, there's certainly some intrigue to see what Jurco can do in Chicago. In 16 games this season he's yet to register a point and has a minus-8 rating, but will make his Chicago debut Sunday. If he pans out, he can be quite a boon to fantasy owners, but if he doesn't, there's no real harm done. Perhaps a change of scenery was needed for Jurco to realize his potential.
